Crew Blog: Lesley Iaukea, June 19

Crew Blog: June 19

Today was our second day in Māʻalaea and we’ve been really humbled by the outpouring of community support in such a short time here. Many have come to say hello, talk story, and give food and ice to us as a welcoming gesture. So far, we have welcomed about 300 guests on Hōkūleʻa for canoe tours and have made so many new friends in sharing our vision for the WWV. Children have been making individual peace flags that we will bring with us when we voyage, hopefully making them feel connected to our voyage. We will continue to offer daily canoe tours until June 26 from 9-12pm and 1-5pm, and then we plan to make ready and to sail to Lahaina on June 28.

Children drawing peace flags

Photo credit: Jenna Ishii

We started our day looking for an early morning swim, and we came across a turtle with multiple tumors. As part of Mālama Honua, we felt we should inquire about how to help. Lucky for us, the team from the Maui Ocean Center had come to have a canoe tour on Hōkūleʻa and referred us to the NOAA hotline. We alerted the officials and learned a little bit about how to care for turtles.

Turtle with tumors

Photo credit: Lesley Iaukea

We then had a private tour of the Maui Ocean Center where we learned about their release program of animals back into the wild. We were able to see healthy turtles, sharks, and manta rays at the center.

For information on how to report distressed animals, please call 1-888-256-9840. To visit the Maui Ocean Center and learn about their programs, please go to their website at: http://www.mauioceancenter.com/.

Photo: Lesley Iaukea

The crew is excited for the week ahead, as we will team up with Maui crewmembers and go into the community for our Learning Journeys. Please stay tuned for forthcoming blogs about the many Maui groups and communities that lead by example as they teach their keiki how to mālama honua.